Phing Phong
History Foundation Now known as the City-State of Phing Phong, the island off the south point of the Dai Nam peninsula was originally home to two small towns, Luanyet (ล้วนยุทธ์) and Bôn Thị Xã (錛市社) and agricultural countryside. Originally an inconsequential province, it received little assitance or help from the nominal rulers of the region, the Dai Nam Empire, causing much resentment amongst the local people. Local attitudes towards the rulers steadily worsened until in 1923 an Inquisition against the Cao Đài religion native to the area ignited a revolution in Ponh, which soon spread across the island to Luanyet. The local people, led by Deua Theow Phon, routed the weak garrison of the declining Dai Nam and declared independence as a city state. Thannarat I Hailed as a hero by the people of the fledgling state, Theow Phon was appointed Council-shen Thannarat I by the new parliament, the Luanyet Hall Council. Responsible economic and social policy caused massive population growth fuelled by immigration and a high birth rate. "The Dark Years" Thannarat I died in 1974. His successor, Phraya Thaklaew Jitep, was elected Council-shen. Thannarat II, as he was known, was an incompetent leader and was unpopular amongst the residents of Phing Phong. When in 1984, he cancelled the elections for a new Council-shen and dissolved the Council, there was a popular revolt, and the Army was brought in to disperse protesters. Shots were fired, and dozens of protesters were killed. Thannarat II held on to power, and his period of rule was known in Phing Phong as "the dark years". He died under dubious circumstances in his palace on the 14th July 2000. The Restoration of Democracy After the death of Thannarat II, a referendum was held on a new constitution, which guaranteed individual liberties and elections, and completely banned guns from the City, restricting their usage to the countryside and military bases. The constitution was adopted, and Luang Mongkut Khrapao voted in as Council-shen. His rule was immensely popular, with an unofficial motto of the city being "Under Thannarat III, Phing Phong is Invincible!" He won a second term in the 2005 election, and has introduced a monorail system and numerous civic works to Phing Phong. Thannarat III died of heart failure on September 13th 2010. Politics Parliament The Parliament of Phing Phong, known as the Luân Hiết Phòng Hội Ðồng (圇歇房會同) or the Luanyet Hall Council, is a unicameral house made up of 324 Ministers, known as Phraya (พระยา) or Thườn (臣), each elected for a five-year term by all citizens over the age of 18. Ministers are elected by two systems. One-third of Ministers are elected by a first-past-the-post system, one from each of the 108 huyện (縣) or constituencies. The remaining two-thirds of Ministers are elected from a party list by proportional representation. Political Parties have been in existence since 24th September 2010, though 11 of the 324 Phraya do not belong to a political party. Head of State The Head of State of Phing Phong is known as the Hội Xiển (會生) or Council-shen. He or she is voted in for a five year term by the citizens from a shortlist of three Phraya chosen from the three largest political groupings in the Council. All citizens over the age of 16 are able to vote from the shortlist unless they are in prison or a mental institution. The current Council-shen is Ngô Huynh, who declined to take the title of Thannarat IV out of respect for his predecessor. Law The rights of every individual are affirmed by the Millennial Constitution, also known as the Constitution of 2000 or New Constitution. The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion, speech, sexuality, assembly and political affiliation; freedom from poverty, firearms, oppression and murder; and the right to a fair trial and representation. No law can breach the constitution unless 50% of the total adult population, including those who do not vote, approves an Amendment. The highest court in the city is the High Court of Phing Phong, comprised of ten High Court Judges, plus the Justice Minister in the event of a deadlock, and its main task is to approve or reject Chat Thalaeng of the Luanyet Hall Council. It can also overrule individual court rulings if they are held to breach either the Constitution or the Law. Additionally, religious courts can settle disputes and legally enforce their ruling, but only if the two parties consent and the ruling does not breach the Constitution. Demographics Ethnic Groups The population of Phing Phong is mainly made up of two ethnic groups: the Việt Binh (越梹), who originate from Dai Nam to the North of the city; and the Daeng Thai (แดงไท), who originate from the landmass to the East of the city. Both groups comprise slightly under half the population each (49% and 48% respectively), with immigrant minorities such as Yamatese (2%) and Bharatiyans (0.5%) making up the rest. 800,000 Daeng Thai, Việt Binh and other Austronesian minorities were recently transferred to Phing Phong as part of a relief operation. Language The native language of the Việt Binh is Tiếng Ngư, while the native language of the Daeng Thai is Phasa Daeng (ภาษาแดง). Almost all citizens of Phing Phong are fluent in both languages, with the exception of recent immigrants, the elderly, and children under the age of 16. Both languages are official across the whole of the city, but some areas designate one language as the primary language if more than two-thirds of the population speak it as a mother tongue. Additionally, the city uses each language for various different official names and titles in the city. Most specialist titles, such as Minister, Doctor, or Judge, vary depending on the language of the person's first name, though the commonest titles are in one language only. Religion Although the city is officially secular, the majority religion of the population is Buddhism, with 84% of the population, and almost all the Daeng Thai, adherents. Việt Binh Cao Đài comprise the next largest group at 13% of the population. The remaining 3% of the population are a diverse mix of Shinto, Sephardi Jews, Quakers, Irreligious, and Hindus, with all of the above religions having at least one registered place of worship in the city. As mentioned above, Cao Đài, Buddhist and Jewish courts exist for the settling of minor disputes amongst the devout. Culture Food Meat is notably absent from the local cuisine. This is mainly due to the strict vegetarianism of the religious segment of the community - even finding meat in the city is difficult due to the ban on livestock - but in part stems from the relative poverty of many citizens. Despite this, the local cuisine is still vibrant, with many indigenous plants and varieties of rice (recent estimates are as high as 16) yielding nutritious and flavoursome dishes. Alcohol is also consumed, with rice wine infused with ginger or cloves a popular local spirit. Customs A strong egalitarian tradition has been continually present in Phing Phong since its independence, having never been fully suppressed by even the dictatorship of Thannarat II. Concepts such as justice, equality and progressvism are deeply embedded in the national psyche. People are far more commonly judged by their profession and conduct in social situations than their gender, with same-sex couples and working women seen as normal. Adults address each other as Luang (หลวง), meaning royal or honourable, and children are usually addressed by their first names or Tiểu (小). People with special tiles such as ministers, professionals and heads of state, are addressed with their respective titles. Religion Both the native Cao Đài faith and Buddhism have grealy influenced the culture of Phing Phong. Many of the official holidays in Phing Phong are connected to either religion, notably the Cao Đài festival honouring Taoism on the 9th of Minakhom (มีนาคม) and the Buddha's birthday (วันวิสาข) on the 8th of Phruetsapakhom (พฤษภาคม). An abundance of temples and sacred bulidings are to be found in the city, with a substantial part of the city's contemporary architecture drawing from these buildings. Media Newspaper Two English-language newspapers are published daily in Phing Phong and distributed in most provincial capitals throughout the country: the Luanyet Post and the Nation. The Post is the better of the two papers and is in fact regarded by many journalists as the best English daily in South-East Asia. Radio Luanyet's national public radio station (known in Daeng Thai as Sathani Withayu Haeng Prathet Phing Phong) broadcasts English language programmes over the FM frequency 97 MHz from 6 am to 11 pm. Most of the programmes comprise of local, national and international news, sports, business and special news-related features. There is some music on the channel between 9 and 11.15 am, interspersed with hourly English-news broadcasts. For up-to-date news reports this is the station to listen to. An 'Official New Bulletin' (national news sponsored by the government) is broadcast at 7 am, 12.30 pm and 7 pm. FM 107 is another public radio station and is affiliated with Radio Phing Phong and Channel 9 on Phing Phong public television. They broadcast Radio Phing Phong news bulletins at the same hours as Radio Phing Phong (7 am, 12.30 pm and 7 pm). At 7.30 pm, FM 107 provides the English-language soundtrack for local and world satellite news on television Channel 9 while FM 104.5 does the same for Channels 3 and 7. Between 5 am to 2 am daily, FM 107 features some surprisingly good music programmes with British, Daeng Thai and American disc jockeys. Thannarat I University broadcasts classical music at FM 101.5 MHz from 9.30 to 11.30 pm nightly. A schedule of the evening's programmes can be found in the Nation and Luanyet Post newspapers. The Voice of America, BBC World Service, Radio Canada and Radio Australia all have English and Daeng Thai-language broadcasts over short-wave radio. The radio frequencies and schedules, which change hourly, also appear in the Post and the Nation. TV There are five television networks in Luanyet. Channel 9 is the national public television station and broadcasts from 6 a.m. until midnight. Channel 3 is privately owned and is on the air from 4 pm until midnight. Channel 5 is a military network (the only one to operate during coups) and broadcasts from 4 pm to midnight. Channel 7 is military-owned but broadcast time is leased to private companies; hours of operation are from 4 pm to midnight. Channel 11 is run by the Ministry of Education and features educational programmes from 5.30 am until midnight, including TV correspondence classes from Ramkhamhaeng and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open Universities. Upcountry cities will generally receive only two networks, Channel 9 and a local private network with restricted hours. Education Primary Education Education in Phing Phong is mandatory for all aged between 4 and 18. Children start their education in September aged four at their local Primary School. They remain in Primary School until aged ten, when they take their Primary Exam to determine which Middle School they will go to based on their grade. All Middle Schools are categorised according to the grade required to get in, shown below: *Only the top 1000 students in each district gain the highest grade, A (ส.ค.). *Scores at the 90th percentile or above gain the second-highest grade, B (ค.ส.). *Scores at the 60th percentile or above gain the third-highest grade, C (พ.ส.). *Scores at the 30th percentile or above gain the fourth-highest grade, D (ล.ส.) *The remaining students fail the exam with an E grade (ม.), and go to a technical school. These students automatically leave school at sixteen to pursue an apprenticeship or a career. Secondary Education Secondary education takes place at the Middle School, and A-D school students take their Graduation Exams in (usually) eight to eleven subjects aged sixteen to determine whether they will go to a College or stay on at the Middle School for two more years. The grading system is as follows: *Scores at the 95th percentile or above gain the highest grade, A (ด.ย.) *Scores at the 90th percentile or above gain the second-highest grade, B (ท.ด.ย.) *Scores at the 80th percentile or above gain the third-highest grade, C (ต.ก.ย.) *Scores at the 65th percentile or above gain the fourth-highest grade, D (ก.ก.ย.) *Scores at the 45th percentile or above gain the fifth-highest grade, E (อ.ก.ย.) *Scores at the 20th percentile or above gain the lowest grade, F (ม.ด.ย.) *Scores below the 20th percentile fail the exam, and do not receive a grade. Different Colleges have different requirements for admission, but the most prestigious, Luanyet National College, requires eight As from all applicants. Exams are viewed as extremely hard, with a C or better seen by most students as a noteworthy achievement. University Education The majority of College students will go ahead to Universities based on their Graduation Exams. The Primary Degree courses take between two and three years, and provide students with a Degree in their chosen subject that greatly increases their employment prospects. Full Degree courses take two additional years on top of the two or three of the Primary Degree, and are the equivalent of a Masters Degree at foreign universities. Universities use a grading system similar to the British system, going like so: *First Class with Honours (1:1) *First Class without Honours (1:2) *Second Class with Merit (2:1) *Second Class (2:2) *Third Class (3) *Degree not awarded Economy The economy of Phing Phong is a combination of free-market and state-planned economies. Free enterprise is legal, with the largest private industry being shipbuilding, though strict antitrust laws prevent any business from gaining more than 8% of a market without a Civil Charter issued by the Council-shen. Nationalised industries may also not be privatised to the extent that under 51% of the corporation comes under private ownership. Nationalised Industry Nationalised corporations make up the bulk of utility providers, about half all resource companies, and a few corporations in other fields such as telecommunications and media. Water, electricity, piped gas, and refuse collection are controlled by state monopolies subsidised by taxes in other fields due to their status as loss-making corporations. Other state corporations, such as National Oil and NhômTrong, the state aluminum refinery, make a profit which is mostly reincorporated into the state budget, though some money is returned to chief executives and authority positions as an incentive towards efficiency. Privatised Industry Since the economic liberalisation after the death of Thannarat II in 2000, annual economic growth in Phing Phong has fluctuated between 7 and 9% above inflation. The Binh Central Stock Market operates with little government restriction, and has yet to suffer a major slump or crisis of confidence. The main three privatised industries are IT and hardware maufacture, shipbuilding, and petrochemicals, collectively making up around two-thirds of all large-scale private industry. Other There are also many family and local businesses in Phing Phong that are small enough to be exempted from corporate regulation law. The ubiquitous tea-houses, small restaurants and independent shops that characterise much of Phing Phong's economic culture typically make a small enough profit that the Government does not charge either corporation tax or sales tax. This has led to a grey market of goods and services whose legal status is unclear. Category:Nations of the Global Powers